Fashion houses seem to love designing bikes and the latest one has come from Gucci which they have designed on the occasion of their 90th anniversary for Bianchi. The expensive bike has been personally designed by Gucci creative director Frida Giannini. We have earlier seen bikes being made by other high end brands like Kate Spade, Hermes, Missoni for Target, Fendi, Ralph Lauren, Trussardi and even Chanel. Gucci had made its first bike in 2008. This is their second attempt to design a stylish bike which has seen rising sales in the recent times at all price points. We had in fact recently reported about the most expensive bicycle saddle and also about the most expensive electric bike.
Gucci has taken several initiatives to celebrate its 90th anniversary that highlight its long heritage like sponsoring horse riding events and even opening a museum in Florence. Gucci has also designed accompanying accessories for the bike like a helmet, riding gloves and a water bottle. The bicycle sales have grown through the recession. Taiwan alone has exported bicycles worth more than $1.65 billion this year. The average price of a bicycle has gone up to $372 which is 31% higher than last year. However the Gucci bike has been priced at $6,200.
The Gucci-Bianchi is a sleek model and has the typical Gucci green-red-green stripes on the top tube. The single speed bike made of white steel that comes with Gucci leather handle grips is aimed at the urban rider who would like to use it as an alternative mode of transport inside the city. There is another higher end model made from matte black carbon fiber that comes with carbon fork and disc brakes. The bike priced at $14,000 is positioned as an urban/off road bike. The bike is available in select Gucci stores including Rome, Milan, Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Honolulu, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul and Singapore.
Via: blogs.wsj
